An image shows a horse which has a coat that appears to spell the word “horse.” Today we’ll look into whether or not this image is real or not.

The image was digitally altered.

An image of a horse appears to show the word “horse” spelled in white hair on the animal. The photo, however, was actually a second-place winning entry for a photo effects contest on the website worth1000.com. The contest, which took place several years ago, was entitled “Spell it Out”. Worth1000 user batbrat created this picture which is labelled “Pinto Horse”. The artist commented on the image by stating, “I wanted it to look realistic and subtle. Not sure if it’s too subtle to read or not.”

You can see all of the winning entries here.

Here is the image that is often being circulated as genuine:

Here is a meme that is also circulating with a caption that reads, “That moment when you realise it spells Horse.”

Bottom Line

The image which depicts a horse with a coat that spells the word “horse” is not real. It was created for an online graphic arts contest several years ago.

Updated February 24, 2015
Originally published February 2013